Hitachi Rail has signed a contract with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to enhance the Muni transit system with its latest train control technology. This upgrade will optimize efficiency, boost reliability, and improve service for the 160 million passengers who travel annually on the network.
The project will introduce Hitachi Rail’s SelTrac
Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system, expanding across the 71-mile transit network with 33 stations. Unlike previous implementations limited to underground subway operations, this modernization will extend train control to street-level routes, ensuring a seamless and unified system. The contract also includes a 10-year support and maintenance agreement, with an option for an additional decade.
CBTC technology represents the future of rail transit, enabling trains to communicate wirelessly with infrastructure for safer, more efficient, and higher-capacity operations. With SelTrac technology, Muni will be able to reduce train intervals, increasing service frequency while maximizing passenger capacity. These improvements will create a more reliable, streamlined, and future-ready transit system.
San Francisco’s Muni is a one-of-a-kind transit system, featuring an iconic mix of historic cable cars, vintage streetcars, and modern light rail vehicles. The Train Control Upgrade Project will ensure that these heritage vehicles, along with the rest of the fleet, benefit from advanced signaling and operational improvements.
“Modernizing the Muni network of light rail Metro trains and historic streetcars with an industry leading signaling technology is an important step for the city of San Francisco. Hitachi Rail looks forward to expanding our long-standing partnership with the SFMTA, by delivering our SelTrac CBTC technology to enhance mobility, sustainability, and passenger experience,” said Ziad Rizk, Director of Urban Rail Signaling, Hitachi Rail.
“We’re grateful for the vision and foresight of the Board of Supervisors and former Mayor Breed, who gave us permission to pursue a negotiated, long-range contract, and we’re eager to start our next-generation partnership with Hitachi Rail,” said SFMTA’s new Acting Director of Transportation, Julie Kirshbaum. “Hitachi Rail’s product is the most technologically advanced we have seen. A major strength of their proposal was their thoughtful approach to applying their technology to San Francisco’s unique challenges. Hitachi Rail will help the SFMTA deliver a project that improves daily rail service by improving Muni Metro reliability citywide.”
With over 25 years of collaboration between Hitachi Rail and SFMTA, this initiative builds on past projects, including upgrades to the Market Street and Central Subway lines. The full implementation of the new train control system is expected to be completed by 2032, ushering in a new era of efficiency and innovation for San Francisco’s public transportation network.
The post Hitachi Rail to Modernize San Francisco Muni with SelTrac™ Train Control Technology, Enhancing Efficiency, Reliability and Passenger Experience Across 71 Miles of Transit appeared first on Travel And Tour World.
